Yanji, China

Chinese sign:


Escape to Russia!



Back in Minnesota, fall break usually involved sleeping in, visiting an orchard, watching tons of movies, or shopping for new winter clothes. This year my fall break included celebrating the birth of Communism, walking halfway across a bridge to North Korea, and escaping to Russia through a wire fence. Every trip truly has its own charm.

Every 3-4 years, TCIS sponsors a trip to Yanji, China. It's a random place to visit, but many of our OCK's (out-of-country kids) come from this city. Their parents work as professors at Yanbian University of Science and Technology, otherwise known as YUST. It was fascinating to see the home of my beloved students! Apart from visiting Yanji, our troup visited other local Chinese sites: Baekdoosan, a beautiful mountain lake that is rumored to be the birthplace of Korea; Tumen, a Chinese sister city to North Korea; and the triangular intersection where Russia, China, and North Korea meet. The scenery of northern China is stunning. It reminds of the stillness and serenity of Minnesota.


Russia pics:





Every trip seems to contain an educational aspect. I learned so much about North Korea on this trip. The "hermit kingdom" is such a sad, horrific, and fascinating country. I was under the impression that North Koreans were not allowed to leave the country, but I ended up meeting several North Koreans on the trip. One night our group ate at a North Korean restaurant in Yanji. The food and service were incredible! The waitresses beautifully sang a number of North Korean karaoke songs while serving HUGE portions of food. One of our tour guides said the wait staff comes over to China for several months to work at the restaurant, but head back into North Korea to do who knows what. We tried to pry personal information out of the waitresses, but they remain extremely tight-lipped. I found a few online articles that slightly mirror our dining experience. Luckily, we were able to get photos!!!

http://globespotters.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/a-taste-of-pyongyang/
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JB08Ad03.html


I've never been truly thankful for freedom until this trip. It's scary not being able to openly discuss faith and politics in public. I'm glad 70% of my salary doesn't go to the government. I'm glad that I have food on a daily basis. I have no idea what will happen to communist North Korea and China over the next fifty years, but the people were extremely wonderful. Perhaps Yanji will be your next vacation spot!



North Korean bridge, restaurant, house, and singing waitresses:






Baekdoosan pics: